Automatic multiple knife sharpening machine



Dec. 1951 G. M. YULICH AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE 10Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 20, 1950 aiazm mLN N Eula/U507," joiggc J3 ONHDec. 4, 1951 G. M. YULICH AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE l0Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 20, 1950 ELI 101M07 6 7 g077WM Dec. 4, 1951 G.M. YULICH 2,577,393

AUTOMATIG MULTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE Filed Feb. 20, 1950 1o Sheets-Sheet s Inga/U507, jsmye djyncoaflw;

I Dec. 4, 195

Filed Feb. 20, 1950 G. M. YULICH 2,577,393

" AUTOMATIQ MULTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet i \dl i,5.-

14 241; 159 e e 60 J J. 52 65 1951 G. M. YULICH AUTOMATIQ MULTIPLE KNIFESHARPENING MACHINE l0 Sheets$heet 5 Filed Feb. 20, 1950 wmegwaw Dec. 4,1951 a. M. YULICH AUTOMATIC IVRJLTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE FiledFeb. 20, 1950 10 Sheets-S heet 6 II iii-Elli I Dec. 4, 1951 G. M. YULICH2,577,393

AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE Filed Feb. 20, 1950 10Sheets-Sheet 7 Dec. 4, 1951 G. M. YULICH 2,577,393

AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE KNIFE SHARPENING MACHINE Filed Feb. 20, 1950 10Sheets-Shaet 8 Dec. 4, 1951 e. M. YULICH AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE KNIFESHARPENING MACHINE 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Feb. 20, 1950 Dix. 4, 1951Filed Feb. 20, 1950 G. M. YULICH 2,577,393

AUTOMATIC MULTIPLE KNIFE. SHARPENING. MACHINE 10 Sheets-Sheet 10 72 2323' M [1 Mn mm 19 Patented Dec. 4, 1951 George MichaelQYulich, KansasCity, Kans., as-

signor to Wilson & 00., Inc., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationFebruary20, 1950, Serial No. 145,119

I This invention relates to an automatic'multiple knife sharpening.machine particularly adapted to sharpen a plurality ofirregularly shapedcutting knives ganged .on-a rotating shaft.-

Theknives, the cutting edges of which may have an irregular contour, aremounted in predetermined, laterally spaced relationship on a shaft whichrotates at a relatively slow speed. Agrinding wheel, rotatin at arelatively'fast speed; is automatically'moved into contact with one sideof the cutting edge of one of the knives. A cam mechanism and astabilizer-mechanism cooperate to causethe grinding wheel to follow theirregular contour of the cutting edge with uniform pressureagainst thebeveled .side of the cutting edge until the knife being sharpened has:made one complete revolution. The knife assembly is then movedlaterally automatically to position the opposite beveled side ofthecutting edge of the same knife into proper alignment with the.grindingvwheel, and the grinding operation. is repeated on that side.Aftertheknife completes another revolution, theknife assembly is againautomatically moved laterally to align the adjacent beveled side of thecutting edge of the nextknife, with the grinding wheel. The operationsare continued until both beveled sides of the cutting edge of each ofthe knives have completed one revolution in engagement with the grindingwheel. The direction of, lateral travel of the knife assembly is thenreversed, and the grinding wheel continues sharpening both surfaces ofthe cutting edge of each knife in regular sequence until the machine isstopped. When all of the knives have been properly sharpened, themachine is stopped and the gang of knives which has been sharpened isreplaced by another gang of knives which need sharpening.

The machine constructed in accordance with the present invention reducesthe time required for sharpening the knives, and makes the cutting edgesof the knives uniform on both surfaces; therebvreducing the possibilityof dulling individual knives'sooner than other knives used therewith. Itlikewise-increases the total useful life of the'individual knives, asthe "machine is foundto take off less steelduring the-sharpeningoperation and enables the knives to withstand more sharpeningoperations. Another factor in increasing the total useful life of theknives is the .fact that the machine may be adjusted so that, inoperation, it will not .burnzthe steel or ruin'the temper of any of theknives. The greater uniformity in cutting edges sharpened 33 claims.(01. 51-33) by the machine also insures smoother operation of theapparatus in which the knives are used.

Other advantages of the machine of the present invention will becomeapparent upon reading the following. description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a knife sharpening machine embodyingthe invention;

7 Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine with agang of knives inposition to be sharpened;

. Fig.3 is an end elevation taken from the right hand side of Fig. 1;

4 is an end elevation taken from the lefthand side of Fig. 1; V V

,.Fig.;5. is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the indexmechanism;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the indexmechanism;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary front view, partly in section,showing the index mechanism of Figs. 5 and 6 in a different position;Fig. Bis a front elevation of the index mechanism in another position; 1

J Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken along the line 9-9of Fig. 2; V

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of the index mechanism;

Fig. 11' is another detail perspective View of the index mechanismshowing the reversing mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line l2l2 of Fig. 9and shows a back view of parts of the reversing mechanism;

Fig. 13 is a front elevation of the swinging frameon which the grindingwheel is mounted, showing the stabilizer mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a top plan section, taken along the line |4l4 of Fig. 13;

Fig.15 is a fragmentary side elevation of the swinging frame shown inFig. 13 with parts broken away;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary side elevation of the swinging frameshowing thegrinding wheel in contact with one side of the cutting edge of the knifebeing sharpened;

Fig. 17 is a detail perspective view of the stabilizer mechanism;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary front elevation of the stabilizer mechanism;

Fig. 19 is a cross sectional view through the shaft on which the knivestobe sharpened are mounted;

Fig. 20 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 211-20 of Fig.17; and

vFig; .21'.-is adetail perspective view showing estates 3 the engagementof the grinding wheel with one beveled side of the cutting edge of theknife to be sharpened.

Referring to the drawings for a specific description of the invention,the machine comprises a supporting frame 2 having lower longitudinalframe members 3 and 4 'connec'ted by end frame members 5 and 6,*andupper longitudinal frame members 3 and 4 spaced above members 3 andd, and connected by end frame members 5' and 6', all of which aresupported by vertical frame members "1, '8, 9 and Ill. The uprightmembers "I to It] also support a longitudinal frame member 26and-atransverse frame member 27, each positionedmedially ofthe fra-me insubstantially the same horizontal plane as frame members 3, 4, 5, 6-.Frame 2 supports a motor ll which furnishes motive power for all movingparts of the machine through -'various driving mechanisms that will bedescribed in detail in connection with the -mech'ani'sms '-With whichthey are associated.

A plurality of knives l2, which 'are-tobe sharpened, i3 ganged togetheron a sleeve 13 tFi'g. 19) which is longitudinally movable "on and iskeyed to a drive shaft 14 by means of a spline 15. The'knives areuniformly spaced along th'esleeve by means of a plurality of spacingcollars 16. One end'of tha -knife assembly isheldi'n placeby a collarll-havin'g a'peripheral groove =18. {The opposite end-of the knifeassembly is held in place, by a nut l9. The knives [2, as illustrated,have an irregular contour, as showninFiglG, which includes a beveledcutting edge '20, as shown Fig. 21, and a heel portion 24. The-end ofeach knife opposite the heel portion -is slotted, as shown at 22, and afiat'bar 2'3, welded a't one end to collar ll, is'positioned-in theslots 22 to align the knives before they are clarnped-in predeterminedspaced relationship for the grinding operation.

The -method of assembling and clamping the knives for the grindingoperation is-as follows.

.pul-leys"36 and 40,by which they are driven, with the result that shaft14, which carries the knife assmblm rotatesvery slowly compared with thespeed of motor l' 'I An indexmecha'nism moves the'knife assemblylaterallyon-shaft 1-4 in unequal steps of predetermined length so'thateach beveled side of the cutting edge of each knife is successivelyengaged by a grinding wheel 4l.' The index mechanism includes fan Ia'rm'42 :pivoted at "one end on a rod 43 :"supported at its ends in brackets=44 mounted on median frame member 2-! and tend frame member 6. .Afcable45 securecl to theother end of arm 42 extends over a grooved roller 415rotatably -mounted on a bracket .41 projecting from the frame. A weight=48 secured to the end of c'able "45 e'xer'ts -:a constant 'force 'onthe 7 top endjof arm 42 urging it towards the right,

The collar H, to which one 'end of 'flat bar =23 is welded, the spacingcollars l6, andsthe nut l9 are permanently, but s'lidably m'ou ited onshaft l4. The knives are slipped on shaft 'l 4 individually, with slots22' of i each knife passing over the shaft, each -knife'being positionedbetween two of the spacing collars. The ila't bar is then slid lateralythroughslots-22 to alignthe knives, collar ll being positioned near theend of sleeve 13, and bolt 23' is'passed through an aperture (not shown)in the free end o'f flatbar 23 and threaded into shank t9, whichproje'cts from nut l9, tosecure the knife in the-desired predeterminedspaced relationship on shaft l4. After all of the knives have-beensharpened they are removed from the shaft 'by removing bolt 23" andseparatirrgcollars I6 '-to loosen the assembly, so that slots 22 permiteach :knife to be slipped off the shaft.

When employing knives of other shapes or contours, suitable Iprecautions will be -'taken to properly align the knives and retain themin aligned positionon sleeve l3 du'ring the grinding operation. I

Shaft I l-is rotatablysupportedintrunnions fl and 25 which are mounted'on transverse frame member 6' and 5 res'pectively. IAs shown in Figs. 3and 4, shaft l4 is rotated bymeansbf. a sprocket gear 28 driven by achain 29.- 'Ch ain 29 is driven by ax'pulley 30 -"secured .tofiazshaft3|, one end of which is'rotatably supporteiiaby a trunnion F32 whichismountedpn frame m'emais viewed in-Figspii and .9. lA rolle-r 49.,izsecured to sprocket 1 gear 28 inea'r its outer :edge, ienga'g'es arm42 during a :portion :of TQ'ECh ITBVOIIP tion of the sprocket gearwhenthe isprocket gear is rotated; The sprocket gear rotates inaclockwise direction, as seen in Eig. 9,:and=each trotati'on movesroller 49 into engagement "with ":arm 42. *As the sprocket gearcontinues :the clockwise movement roller is m'oved from the: dotted linepositionshown in 'Fig. '9 until it reaches its "extreme left hand:position, :and during this portion of the revolution of the sprocketgear moves arm '42 towards the left. Continued rotation -of thesprocket:"gearm0ves the roller'49 towards' the rig ht. As th'e r'olfer'l9 moves towards the right, the weight 48, pulling ion cable 45, movesarm 42 to the ri'gh't and holds it iniits extreme right hand :positionuntil the roller 49 againiengages arm 42 n rod 51: having bne*endsekured to arm 42 adjacent i ts t'op by a olevi's 5l, has "its otherendsecuredmo the stem '52 -o'f a T-s'haped link or =-dmible bell c'ranklever 53 Joy anyf suitable fastening member 54. -Link 53 is pivoted t'othe frame, -as'=-irfdicated-at 55 (Fig. 2), so tha't cros's bar 56,'-'forming the head of the T-s'h'aped link, is oscillated as arm 42:moves back and :forth around its pivot '43. One arm 51 :of :th'e cr'ossbar is connecte'd to a rider 58 by means of a rod 59, and the other arm6 0 is ic'or-mected to a *s'imilar rilie'r *6! by means of' a rod 62.Ro'ds 59 and-"62 are provided with turnbuckles 63 and 64, -"respectivly,to fa'cilitate adjustment 'of the lengths of the rods. I-he ends'of eachrod are shape'd into loops; which-are pivotally mouri-tedon boltsprojecting upwardly from' the ends of .cross bar 56 and the ether -loopsfare pivotally :conneted' to riders 58 and 6 I respectively.Consequently,' when=icross Jam 1 56 isimoved l about pivot 55 in'counterclockwise direction,:'asjseeniinFig-2, rider 6! is -moved to the1 right and I'rider 58 is moved tothedeft. Movement= ofzthe crossbar intheaopposite direction :moves riders '58 land: 61 in the'opposite'directions. a

Ridersvitl andtfil are each slidably mounted on aopair .of spaced rods'65 and 66. i-One end 01 5.. each of rods 65 and 66 is secured to aplate 61 mounted on upright frame member 9, and the opposite ends of therods are secured to a similar plate 68 mounted on upright frame memberI. A shield 69 is mounted on rods 65 and 66 between riders -58 and BI.Shield 69 has two opposite edges curled, as indicated at 10 and H, to

fit around rods 65 and 66, respectively. A bolt 12 projects forwardlyfrom one edge of shield 69 for a purpose hereinafter described. Theshield is provided with an elongated opening 13 spaced from its oppositeends to leave relatively wide solid portions 14 and 15 at opposite endsof the elongated opening. A pawl 16 has one end pivotally secured to aclevis 11 mounted on rider 58. A similar pawl 18 has one end pivotallysecured to a clevis I9 mounted on rider 6|. The riders 58 and 6| and theshield 69 are so positioned that the toothed end of pawl 16 rests onsolid portion 14 of the shield and the'toothed end of pawl 78 projectsthrough opening 13 in the shield when the index mechanism is to be movedtowards the left, as seen in Fig. 1. When the movement of the indexmechanism is reversed, the toothed end of pawl 18 rests on portion 15 ofthe shield and the toothed end of pawl 16 projects through opening 13,as seen in Fig. '7.-

A rod 80. extends longitudinally across the frame somewhat below rods 65and 66. A sleeve 8| slidably mounted on rod 80 has a bar 82projectingtherefrom. Bar 82 is preferably welded to sleeve 8|, but maybe rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner. The upper surface ofblock 82 is parallel to and below the bottom of shield 69 and has aplurality of projections such as pins or pegs 83 extending verticallyupwardly therefrom. Aperture 13 in shield 69 overlies bar 82 so thateither pawl 16 or 18 projecting through the aperture will engage one ofthe pins. The spacing between pins 83 regulates the distance the knifeassembly-is moved laterally for each rotation of shaft 4, as hereinafterset forth, and therefore the pins are spaced to provide alternately ashort movement to permit grinding wheel 4| to engage the two oppositebeveled sides of the cutting edge of one knife in succession, and thenalonger movement to position the adjacent sides of the cutting edge ofthe next knife to be sharpened into position for engagement by thegrinding wheel.

The lateral movement of the knife asembly is effected by the lateralmovement of either pawl 76 or 18, whichever is in engagement with pinsor pegs 83, depending upon the direction in which the lateral movementis taking place. Re-

' ferring particularly to Figs. 2, and 6, the toothed end of pawl 18 isin engagement with pins 83 when the knife assembly is moving laterallytowards the left as viewed in these figures. Every rotation of shaft [4causes arm 42 to move backand forth one time because of the engagementof roller 49, mounted on sprocket gear 28, with arm 42, and the forceexerted on cable 45 byweight 48 which pulls arm 42 back to its extremeback or right hand position, as viewed in Fig. 9, after roller 99isdisengaged from the arm. .The movement of arm 42 inopposite directionsmoves T- shaped link 53 once in each direction about its pivot 55 foreach reciprocation of arm 42.

counterclockwise movement of link 53 about its pivot 55 ,moves-rider 58towards the left through rod 59, and moves support (il towards the rightthrough-rod 62.. .The solid portion .14 of shield 69, upon, which; thetoothed end of pawl .76. rests when the index mechanismisinthe positionindicated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, is sumciently broad, so that thismovement of block 58 does not move the toothed end of pawl 16 off solidportion 14 of the shield. The motion of rider 6| towards the rightcauses the toothed end of pawl 18 to ride over the pin or peg 83adjacent the pinwith which it was in engagement at the start of themovement of the support. After pawl 18 rides over the next pin to theright the motion stops, and the pawl falls down, so that when support 6|is moved in the opposite direction, by the movement of link 53 inclockwise direction, the toothed end of pawl 18 engages said nextpin 83to move it towards the left. The simultaneous movement of support 58 tothe right when support 6| is moved to the left merely moves pawl 18 backto its first position mentioned because of the width of solid portion14, upon which the toothed end of pawl 76 has been riding.

An arm 84, rigidly secured to sleeve 8| and provided with a reinforcingweb 85, extends towards shaft l4 and. terminates in a semi-circularcollar 86 embracing the peripheral groove l8. Each end of the collar isprovided with a stud 81. Studs 81 project toward each other and fit intogroove I8 of collar When sleeve 8| is moved laterally. by theinteraction of one of the pawls T6 or T8 withone of the pins 83, arm 84,which is rigid with sleeve 8|, is also moved laterally in the samedirection. Studs 81 move the knife assembly the same lateral distancebecause the collar I! is rigidly secured to the knife assembly. Aspreviously mentioned, pins 83 are spaced so that the lateral movement ofthe knife assembly is in alternately uneven steps, one step being of alength to move the assembly far enough to align the second beveled sideof the cutting edge of a knife which is being ground on one surface withgrinding .wheel 4|, and .the next step being long enough to align theadjacent side of the cutting edge of the next knife with the grindingwheel.

The direction of movement of the knife assembly is regulated by areversing mechanism shown generally in Fig. 1, and. in. detail in Figs.9, 11

and 12. A plate 88, secured to the front of supporting frame 2, extendsvertically relative to the frame and has its upper end bent forwardly toform ahorizontal flange 89 positioned under rod and shield 69. The endof flange 89 extends forwardly of rod 89 and is provided with a notch99. 'A stud 9| projects through plate 88 and is rotatable relativethereto. A lever 92, having one end rigidly mounted on stud 9| by meansof a nut 93, extends through notch 98 and terminates in a bifurcated end94 which engages bolt 12 on shield 69.

An arm 95, pivotally mounted on stud 9|, is provided with a cross arm 96having projections 91 and 98 adjacent its opposite ends. Projections 91and 98 extend forwardly so as to engage the edges of lever 92 when arm95 is pivotally moved a sufficient distance. Arm 95 has a projection 99extending above the top edge of cross bar 96. vA short link I98 has oneend rigidly mounted on the end of stud 9| on the side of plate 88opposite lever 92 and arm 95. When stud 9| is rotated, both lever 92 andlink I99 move with it, because they are each mounted rigidly thereon. Atension spring |9| has one end secured to the free end of link I98 andits opposite end to a hook I92 mounted adjacent the 7 lower edge ofplate 88. Spring |8| is tensioned so that ,whenever'it passes thecenterof stud 9| it will pull thefree end of link [99 oyer to that sideand will hold it there until stud BI is forcibly moved in the oppositedirection.

A bar I03 is provided with end member I84 and IE which embrace rod 80just beyond the opposite ends of sleeve 8|. Members I04 and H15 eachhave a plurality of rollers I06 and ID], respectively, mounted sothatthey rotate with their peripheries in contact with the surface of rod80. As shown, for example, in Figs. 5, 6 and 10, sleeve 8| is providedat its opposite ends with recesses I38 and H39 into whichthezperipheries ofrollers I06 and [91, respectively, project. A

stop member I I9, secured on bar I03 on the left side of plate 88 asseen Fig. 11, is adjustable laterally on the bar and may .be tightenedinto. position by means by a. set screw IIL. The stop member has aprojecting flange I I2 which engages projection 99 when bar I63 has beenmoved sufficiently. A stop member I I3, similar to stop member H0 ismounted on bar I83 to the. right of plate 88. The positions of stopmembers III] and H3 may be varied in accordance with the number ofknives mounted on sleeve I3.

The operation of the reversing mechanism described in the threepreceding paragraphs is as follows: As sleeve 8I is moved laterally onrod 80 in either direction, bar I03 is moved therewith. Referring toFig. 11, assume that bar I93 is being moved towards the right. When stopmember IIG engages projection 99.it will force arm 95 towards the rightuntil projection 91 engages lever 92 and moves it to the right. Sincelever 92 is rigidly secured to stud 9| it will rotate the stud in aclockwise direction until spring IOI passes the center of stud 9| whenthe tension of the spring will cause the lever 92 to flop into itsextreme right hand position. The engagement of bifurcated end 9 3 withbolt I2 will move shield 69 far enough to the right to position portionId of shield 59 under the toothed end of pawl 16.. At the same time theaperture I3 moves under the toothed end of pawl I8, allowing the toothedend of pawl I8 to fall into engagement with pins 83. In this positionreciprocation of support 58 moves the toothed end of pawl I6 across thesurface of portion 14, out of engagement with pins 83. Reciprocation ofsupport 61 causes the toothed end of pawl I8 to engage one of the pins83 to move sleeve 8| longitudinally along rod 88 every time T-shapedlink 53 moves support GI to the left, thereby moving the knife assemblytowards the left, until stop member I I3 engages projection 39 to shiftshield 69 and: again reverse the direction of the movement.

The mechanism for mounting and driving the.

grinding wheel will be now described indetail. Uprights H4 and H5secured to the-back of the frame project upwardly therefrom and are,provided with forwardly extending. arms IE6 and HT, respectively. Across bar I I8 reinforces the upper ends of the uprights- A shaft H9 isrotatably mounted inbearings i IE and l H at the forward ends of arms H5and HLrespectively.

Shaft H9 is rotated by means of a belt ('26 which rides over a pair ofpulleys 121- and. I22.- Pulley I ZI is rigidly mounted on shaft 40 ofmotor II, and pulley E22 is rigidlymoun-ted on shaft H9. A swingingframe comprising a pair of bars I23 and i2 5 and plate I27 securedthereto, is loosely mounted on shaft I I9. Bars I23 and I24 areprevented from shiftinglaterally' on shaft I19 by'means of collars I 25.

A shaft I26 is rota-tably mounted in bearings I21 secured to the plateIii? carried by the lower ends of bars I23 and -|2'4-. Grinding wheel 4tis rigidly mounted onshaft I26 and rotates there with. Shaft I26 rotatedby means of a beltv I28 which rides over a pulley I19, rigidly mountedon shaft lidand a pulley ;I 30, rigidly mounted'on which carries theknife assembly. This difference in-thespeeds-causes the grinding wheelto rotate at a much faster speed than the speed of. rotatio of theknives being sharpened The various mechanisms previously described. areeffective .to rotate the knives, to move the knife assembly laterally insteps of predetermined length to align the beveled surface of thecutting edge of each knife laterally with the grinding wheeLand torotate the grinding wheel. The mechanism for movingthe grinding wheelinto actual engagement with the beveled surface of the cutting edge ofeach knife to be sharpened will now be described in detail.

A cam MI is rigidly mounted on shaft I4 so as to rotate therewith, asshown, for example, in Fig. 3.. .The contour of cam, I3I is developedfrom that of the knives to be ground so that, as hereinafter set forth,the grinding wheel contacts the cutting edges of the knives duringthatpart of the rotation of the knives that the cutting edges arepresentedlto the wheeLand the wheel iswithdrawn. for the remainder ofthe rotation of the knives. If knives'of other contours are to besharpened, cam I3I may be replaced by other cams, in each. case having.a cam surface conforming to the contour of the knives to be ground.

A lever I32 pivotally mounted at its lower end to frame member 5, asindicated at I33, carries a laterally projecting roller I34 whichengages the.

peripheiy of cam I 3| to move lever I32 about its pivet in accordancewith the shape of the cam as the cam rotates. A weight I 32a is .securedto lever I32 at about its mid-point by means of a cable I32b, which runsover a roller I320 and exerts a constant force urging lever I32towards.the left, as seen. in Fig. 3, to hold roller I34 in contact withtheperiphery of cam I3I. A link I35, pivotally connected at one end to theupper' end .of lever 32,. is secured rigidly atits other end to a pairof spaced. links I38 and I37. A link- L318, pivotally mounted at one endbetween links Iitfiand I3 1, has its other end secured to one end of arod I39. Rod :ILSJSL is mounted on a pair of bearings -II39 mounted onframe member I. A link MB. is fixed to the opposite end of rod I39. 149is similar to link I38, and its other end ispivotailly securedto oneendof a link MI. The other end of link MI is secured to a lug I42mounted on the back of plate i2] of the swinging frame carrying wheel. Vweight of the swinging frame as well as weightcl 32a urge link;Mlforwardly into the area of rotation of the knives because, as seen inFigs.v 3- arld-4i, the lower end. of the frame is. positioned:rearwardly' of shaft H29 from which it is suspendedI- The upper end oflever I32 is urged forward-1y, and thereby roller I34 is kept incontact-with the periphery of. cam I31. The conformationof the-cam issuch that, as the cam is rotated by shaft M, lever I32 moves forwardlyand rearwardlyandthereby moves the grinding wheel the-required distanceto 'keep it in contact with the irregularly-shaped edge ot the lmife tobe sharpened as the knife is rotated by shaft I4. As shown in Figs. 1and 2, a pan M is positioned near the grinding wheel to catch the gritformed by grinding the cutting edge of the knives. lT

As previously mentioned, the grinding wheel engages one beveled surfaceof the cutting edge of a knife to sharpen it, and as the knife assemblyrotates, the wheel is held in contact with the cutting edge of the knifebeing sharpened by the action of weight I32a and by engagement with thecontrolling surface of cam I3I. When the wheel has completed its passagein contact with the cutting edge of the knife, the cam surface forcesthe frame carrying the wheel away from the knife, as shown in Fig. 3.The knife assembly is then moverd laterally. to permit the grindingwheel to engage the 'iopposite beveled surface of the. cutting edge ofsame knife," and the operation is repeated.

The bevel on the knifeedge and that onthe I grinding wheel as well asany nick or lateral projection on the cutting edge of the knife beingsharpened will tend to shift the grinding wheel laterally. It isnecessary, therefore, to provide 4 and a supporting sleeve I45awelded'to the back.

of plate I21, and is rotatable therein. Rod I45 has a depending weightI46 adiustably secured to'its rear end, and a link I41 rigidlysecured'to 'its for ard. end. Weight I46 rotates with-t e rod I45.Acollar I48 rigidly fixed on shaft l26 -and rotatable therewith has acircumferential groove I 40 into which link I41 fits. Accordingly.

any lateral shifting of grinding wheel 4|, which ,is also rigidlysecured on shaft I26, will cause a similar shifting of collar I48 andthereby turn link I41 to rotate rod I45 about its longitudinal axis. a

A block I58 is fixed to rod 'I45;by a, set screw I5I (Figs. 17 and 20)..A bar I52 extending-Ito one side of rod I45 and havingone end looselymounted on the rod is held a ainst 'block I50 by a collar I53 rigidlysecured to the rod, as by a set screw. On the ot er end of bar IE2 ismounted 'a slotted weight I54. A bar 'I55,.si milar to :bar I52, is alsoloosely mounted on rod I45 on the other side of block I50. and is heldagainst the block by a collar I56 ri idlv secured to the rod by a setscrew. -Bar I55 extends in the opposite direction from b-arl52. and onitsouter end is mounted aslotted-weight I51 similar to wei ht I54. Aplate I58 resting .on the topof weights I54 and I51 has elongated slotsI5 9 and I60.ad-

jacent its opposite ends. A headed stud I6I projecting upwardly fromweight vI54 extends through slot I50, and a similar stud I62 projectingupwardly from, weight I51 extends through slot I60. Slots I59 and I60permit-a slight lateral movement of studs I6I and -I62 which isincidental to the rotational movement of rod I 45 in either direction. Astop member 1 I63 rigidly secured to bar I52 is engaged by block l I50to prevent bar 152 from moving downwardly when the latter is rotated byrod I45in the direction of bar I 52 (counterclockwise inl ig. 18,

L which the mile. Pf h with ;.9mwhai exaggerated for clarity). A similarstop member I64 on bar I 55 is engaged by block I50 and raises bar I55when the movement of the rod is in the opposite direction. The bracketsI43 and I44 also serve to limit the downward movement of bars I 52 andI53 respectively and to support them on corresponding rotary movement ofrod I 45.

When lateral shifting of grinding wheel 4I causes a rotation of rod I45, say in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 18, block I50will engage stop I63 and cause bar I 52 to rotate in an upward directionto a slight extent. At the same time the movement of block I50 willpermit bar I55 to move downwardly until it .engages bracket I44, whichwill then limit the movement of and support bar I55 and its associatedweight I51. The latter weight will then no longer exert any action ontherod I 45, but the weight I 54, through bar I52 and stop I63 acting onblock I50, will tend to rotate shaft I45 back to its normal position inwhich bars I52 and I55 are in balanced relation, and thereby to restorethe grinding wheel shaft I26 and the wheel to their previous position.If the wheel 4I shifts in the opposite direction, a restoring actionwill take place through the weight I51, bar I55 and associated parts.weight I46 likewise aids in restoring the wheel to its normal positionin contact with the knives.

The stabilizing force exerted by weight I46, in combinationwith eitherweight I54 or I51, depending upon the direction in which rod I 45 hasbeen rotated, thus maintains grinding wheel M in proper engagement withthe beveled side of the cutting edge of the knife being sharpenedlwithruniform lateral pressure, so that each cut ting edge of each knifeis sharpened uniformly.

When the knife assembly has been mounted onshaft I4 the shaft is rotatedslowly, and the more rapidly rotating grinding wheel 4| is urgedforwardly by the swinging frame and laterally against one beveled sideof the cutting edge of one knife bythe stabilizer m chanism asdescribed. The cam I3I causes the wheel to follow the contour of theknife. When shaft I4 has made a complete revolution the knife assemblyis moved laterally to present the other beveled side of the cutting edgeof the same knife to the grinding wheel. After a complete revolution ofshaft I4 with the grinding wheel in engagement with the second beveledside of the cutting edge of the first knife, the knife assembly is againmoved laterally to align the adjacent beve ed side of the cutting edgeof the next knife with the grinding wheel. and the process is repeatedautomatically until both beveled vsides of the cutting edges of all theknives mounted on shaft I4 have been ground for one complete revolutionof shaft I4. When the grinding wheel has passed over the cutting edge.of the last knife, the direction of the step by step-lateral movementof the knife assembly is reversed and the process is repeated. Themachine may be stopped whenever the operator considers the cutting edgesof all of the knives tobe properly sharpened, and a different set ofknives is mounted on shaft I4 after the sharpened set has been removed.In this way. the entire gang of knives is automatically sharpened, usinga single grinding wheel.

. Although I have described a preferred embodi- :ment of the inventionin considerable detail, it

will be obvious that the description is intended to be illustrative,rather than restrictive, as many The depending knives mounted-on saidcarrier laterally to bring said knives successively into position to becondetails may be modified or changed without departing from the. spiritor scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restrictedto the exact structure disclosed.

I claim:

1. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a carrierupon which a plurality of knives to be sharpened may be clamped, meansfor rotating said carrier with the knives 'carried thereby, a swingingframe, a grinding wheel rotatably mounted on said swinging frame,

means to move said grinding wheel toward the carrier to contact a knifemounted thereon, and index mechanism automatically moving tacted by saidgrinding wheel.

2. An automatic multiple knife sharpening means for rotating saidcarrier with the knives carried thereby, a swinging frame, a grindingwheel rotatably mounted on said swinging frame,

means operating on said swinging frame to move saidgrinding wheel towardthe carrier to con- .tact a knife mounted thereon, an index mechanismautomatically moving knives mounted on said carrier laterally to bringsaid knives successively into position to becontacted by said grindingwheel, and a cam regulating the swinging movement of said frame to causesaid grinding wheel. to contact the cutting edge 'of the knife beingsharpened during, the rotation of such knife. I

3. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a carrierupon which a plurality of knives to be sharpened may be clamped,

means for rotating said carrier with the knives.

carried thereby, a swinging frame, a grinding wheel rotatably mounted onsaid swinging frame, means operating on said swinging frame to move saidgrinding wheel toward the carrier to contact a knife mounted thereon,and an index mechanism automatically moving knives mounted on said shaftlaterally in predetermined steps of unequal length to bring oppositesides of the cutting edges of said knives successively into alignmentwith said grinding wheel.

4. An automatic multiple knife sharpeningregulating the swingingmovement of said frame to cause said grinding wheel to follow thecontour of the cutting edge of each knife being sharpened.

5. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a rotatingshaft, a sleeve slidably mounted on said shaft, clamping means on saidsleeve for holding a plurality of knives in spaced relation, a grindingwheel movable toward and away from said knives, and anindex mechanismautomatically moving said sleeve laterally in predetermined steps tobring said .12 knives successively into alignment with said grinding.wheel.

6.. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a rotatingshaft; a sleeve slidably mounted on said shaft, clamping means forholding a plurality of knives in predetermined spaced relationship onsaid sleeve, a grinding wheel swingable toward and from the carrier intoand out of contact with a knife on said sleeve, into. the knives, and anindex mechanism automatically moving said sleeve in predetermined stepsto bring opposite beveled sides of the cutting edges of said "knivessuccessively into alignment with said-grinding wheel.

7.1m automatic multiple knife sharpening machinecomprisi'ng'a carrieruponwhich a plurality of knives to be sharpened'may be clamped, "meansfor rotating said carrier with the knives carried thereby, a swingingframe, a grinding wheel rotatably mounted on said swinging frame, meansoperating'on said swinging frame to move saidgrinding wheel toward andfrom the carrier into androut of contact with a knife mounted on said.carrier; an. index mechanism automatically movingsaidcarrier and theknives mounted thereon laterally to bring said knives successively tokeep said grinding wheel in contact with the cutting "edge of the knifebeing sharpened, and a stabilizer mechanism for exertingl'ateral'pressure. against said grinding wheel to maintain engagement ofsaid grinding wheel with the cutting edge of the. knife being sharpened.

8'. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a carrierupon which a plurality of knives to be sharpened may be clamped, meansfor rotating said carrier with the knives carried thereby, a swingingframe, a grinding wheel rotatably mounted on said swinging frame, meansfor swinging said frame to move said grinding wheel toward and from thecarrier into and out of contac't with a knife mounted on said carrier,an index mechanism automatically moving said carrier and the knivesmounted thereon laterally in predetermined steps of unequal length tobring opposite sides of the cutting edges of each 'of said knivessuccessively into alignment with said grinding wheel, and a stabili'zermechanism for exerting lateral pressure against said grinding wheel tomaintain lateral engagement of said grinding wheel with the side of thecutting edge of the knife being sharpened.

9. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a carriermeans for holding a plurality of knives in spaced relation on saidcarrier, means for rotating said carrier and the knives carried thereby,a grinding wheelswingably mounted in proximity to said shaft to moveinto and out of contact ,with one of the knives mounted on said carrier,means for moving said knives step by step to present opposite sides ofeach cutting. edge of said knives in succession to saidgrinding wheel,and a stabilizer exerting lateral pressure against said grinding wheelto hold it in engagement with-the surface of the cutting edge of theknife being sharpened.

10. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a carrier,means for holding a plurality of knives in spaced relation on saidcarrier, means; for rotating said carrier and the knives carriedthereby, a grinding wheel swingably mounted in proximity tov said shaftto move into and out ofengagement with one of the knives mounted on saidcarrier, means for mov- 'ing said knives step by step to presentopposite sides of each cutting edge of said knives successively to saidgrinding wheel, a'camcontrollin'g the swinging movement of said grindingwheel to cause said grinding wheel to follow the contour of cutting edgeof the knife being'sharpened steps in one direction to bring said knivessuccessively into alignment withsaid grinding wheel,

and reversing mechanism for' changing the direction of travel of saidsleeve after each of said knives has been moved into lateral alignmentwith said grinding wheel. a

12. An automatic multiple "knife sharpening machine comprising arotating carrier, means for holding a pluralityof knives in spacedrelation on said carrier, a grinding wheel swingably mounted inproximity to saidshaft to move toward and away from said carrier and theknives -mounted' thereon, meansfor moving said knives :laterally step bystep to present opposite sides 1 of the cutting edges of each of saidknives successivelyto said grinding wheel, saidlast mentioned meansbeing operative to move said knives one step after each revolutionofsaid carrier, and reversing mechanism to automatically change thedirection of lateral travel ofsaid'knives when each surface of everyknife to be sharpened has been engaged with said grinding wheel for onerevolution of said shaft. 7

13. In a knife sharpening machine, a rotatable shaft, a sleeve mountedon said shaft, said sleeve carrying a plurality of knives predeterminedspaced relationship, a grinding wheel movable toward and away from saidsleevejtoengagea I knife mounted thereon, a rod-extending parallel tosaid shaft, a sleeve slidably mounted on said a rod, means to move saidsecond mentioned sleeve stepwise laterally, and an, arm extending fromsaid last mentioned sleeveand engaging said first 'mentioned sleeve,whereby said first mentioned sleeve is moved laterally with said secondmentioned sleeve to align saidknives laterally successively with saidgrinding wheel.

shaft, a sleeve slidably, mounted on said rod, and

connected with said. knife-carrying sleeve to cause both sleeves to move"together, a. bar rigidly connected with said second mentioned sleeve,,1 ,a plurality of projections on said bar, ajpawl movable to engagesaid projections, and means.

for moving said pawl laterally whereby both of 'said sleeves are movedsimultaneously to align said knives laterally successively with saidgrinding wheel. I v

15. In a knife sharpening machine, a, rotatable shaft, a sleeve mountedon said shaft, said sleeve carrying a plurality of knives inpredetermined I spaced relationship, a grinding whee l movable towardand away from said sleeve to engage a knife mounted thereon, a rodextending parallel to said shaft, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rodand connected with said knife-carrying sleeve to cause both sleeves tomove together, a bar 1 rigidly connected with said second mentionedsleeve, a plurality of projections on said bar, said projections beingspaced at unequal predetermined intervals, a pawl movable to engage saidprojections, and means for moving said pawl laterally, whereby saidknives are moved later- I ally in accordance with the spacing betweensaid projections toalign the sides of each of said knives laterallysuccessively with said grinding wheel. k

16. In a knife sharpening machine, a rotatable shaft, a sleeve mountedon'said shaft, said sleeve carrying a plurality of knives inpredetermined spaced relationship, a grinding wheel: movable toward andfrom said sleeve to engage a knife mounted thereon, a rod extendingparallel to said shaft, a sleeve slidably mounted on said rod, andconnected with said knife carrying sleeve to cause both sleeves to movetogether, a bar rigid with said second mentioned sleeve, a plurality ofprojections on saidbar, a pair of oppositely disposed pawls, means formoving said. pawls simultaneously in opposite directions, and a shielddisposed between said pawls and said projections,

said shield being constructed and'arranged so as to permit one of saidpawls to engage said projections and to prevent the other ofrsaid pawlsfrom engaging said projections, said pawls being effective on engagingsaid projections to move said knives laterally in opposite directions tosuccessively align said knives with said grinding wheel.

17. In a knife sharpening machine as set forth in claim 16, a. reversingmechanism operable automatically tov shift said shield when all of saidknives have been successiveyl aligned with said grinding. wheel, wherebythe one pawl is disengaged from said projections and said other pawl iseffectiveto engage. said projections to move said knives laterally inthe opposite direction.

18. In a knife sharpening machine, a rotatable carrier, a plurality ofknives mounted on said carrier, a grinding wheel movable into and out.of engagement with a knife on said carrier, a .double pawl mechanismoperable to move said .knives laterally in opposite directions to align.them successively with said grinding wheel, and

a shield effective to hold either of said pawls in inoperative positionwhen said other pawl is in operative position.

19. In a knife sharpening machine, as set forth in claim 18, means for,automatically shifting said shield when all of said knives have beensuccessively aligned with said grinding wheel while moving in onedirection to thereby move said operating pawl' to inoperative positionand said. inoperative pawl'to operative position, whereby the 1direction of lateral movement of said knives is .trolling the swingingmovement of said grinding wheel to maintain said grinding wheel inengagement with. the cutting edge 'of the knife being, sharpened. duringrotation of the latthereon, a double pawl mechanism operable to movesaid carrier laterally in opposite directions to align the kniveslaterally successively with said grinding wheel, a shield effective tohold either of said pawls ininoperative position when said other pawlis. in operative position, and

' meansfor automatically shifting said shield when all of said kniveshave been successively aligned with said grinding wheel while travellingin one direction to move said operating pawl to inoperative. positionand said inoperative pawl to operative position, whereby the directionof lateral movement. of said knife carrier is reversed, and a camcontrolling the swinging movement of said grinding wheel to maintainsaid grinding wheel in engagement with the cutting edge of the knifebeing. sharpened during rotation of the latter and to move the wheelaway from the knife dur-' ing lateral movement of the knife carrier.

22. In a knife sharpening machine, a rotatable icarrier, a. plurality ofknives mounted on said carrier, a grinding wheel mounted to swing towardand away from said, carrier to engage a knife carried thereon, amechanism operable to move said knives laterally in opposite directionsto align them successively with said grinding wheel while moving in eachdirection, said mechanismincluding reversely directedpawls, a I shield.effective. to hold either of said pawls in inoperative position whensaid other pawl is in operative position, a cam controlling the swingingmovement of said grinding wheel to maintain said grinding wheel inengagement with the cutting edgeof the knife being sharpened, and astabilizer exerting constant lateral pressure on said grinding wheelagainst the side of the cutting edge of the knife with which it'isengaged.

23. In a knife sharpening machine, a rotatable carrier, a plurality ofknives mounted on said carrier, a grinding wheel mounted to swing towardand away from said carrier to engage a knife carried thereon, a doublepawl mechanism operable to move said carrier laterally in oppositedirections to align the knives laterally successively with said grindingwheel, a shield effective to hold either of said pawls in inoperativeposition when said other pawl is in operative position, means forautomatically shifting said shield when all of said knives have beenlaterally aligned with said grinding wheel while moving in one directionto move said operating pawl to inoperative position and said inoperativepawl to operative position, whereby the direction of lateral movement ofsaid knife carrier is reversed, a cam controlling the swinging movementof said grinding wheel to maintain said grinding wheel in engagementwith the cutting edge of the knife being sharpened, and a stabilizerpermitting slight lateral movement of said grinding wheel effective tourge said grinding wheel into engagement with the surface of the knifebeing ground.

24. In a knife sharpening machine, a grinding wheel mounted on a shaftand a stabilizer mechanism exerting constant lateral pressure on saidgrinding wheel, said stabilizer mechanism including a rod operativelyengaging said shaft for longitudinal movement thereof and means to exertpressure on said rod in opposite directions 16 to. thereby: maintain:the, wheel under constant pressurev in. engagement with the side of theknife being sharpened.

25. In. a knife sharpening machine, a grinding wheel and a stabilizermechanism exerting constant lateral pressure on said grinding wheel inopposite directions to maintain it in engagement with a knife surface,said stabilizer mechanism comprising a rod rotatable by lateral"movement of said grinding wheel, a weight rigidly secured to said rodto resist rotation thereof, a pair of oppositely disposed bars eachhaving one end mounted on said rod, and a weight secured to the oppositeends of each of said bars, said last mentioned weights each cooperatingwith said first mentioned weight to oppose rotation of said rod ineither direction.

26. In a knife sharpening machine, a shaft, a grinding wheel rotatablymounted on said shaft, a rod, a link rigidly secured toone end of saidrod and engaging said shaft whereby lateral movement of .said shaft ineither direction rotates said rod, and a weight operatively connected tosaid rod, said weight being effective to oppose rotation of said rod andexert lateral pressure on the grinding wheel.

27. In a knife sharpening machine, a shaft, a grinding wheel rotatablymounted on said shaft, a rod, a link rigidly secured to one end of saidrod and engaging said shaft whereby lateral movement of said shaft ineither direction rotates said rod, a pair of oppositely, disposed barseachhaving one end loosely mounted on said rod, a block rigidly securedto said rod, said bars having means engaged by said block on rotation ofsaid rod whereby one of said rods is raised on rotation of the rod inone direction and the other bar is raised onrotation of the rod-in theopposite direction, and a weightsecured to each of said bars, saidlast'mentioned weights each being effective to oppose'rotationof saidrod, and exert lateral pressure on the grinding wheel.

28. In a knife sharpening machine, a shaft, a grinding wheel rotatablymounted on said shaft, a rod, a link rigidly secured to one end of saidrod and engaging said shaft whereby lateral movement of said shaft ineither direction rotates said rod, and a weight operatively connected tosaid rod, a pair of oppositely disposed bars each having one end mountedon said rod, and a weight secured to the opposite ends of each of saidbars, said last mentioned weights each cooperating with said firstmentioned weight to oppose rotation of said rod and exert lateralpressure on the grinding wheel.

29. In a knife sharpening machine, a shaft, a grinding wheel rotatablymounted on said shaft, a rod, a link rigidly secured to one end of saidrod and engaging said shaft whereby lateral movement of said shaft ineither direction rotates said rod, a weight operatively connected tosaid rod, a pair of oppositely disposed bars each having one end looselymounted on said rod, a block rigidly secured to said rod, said barshaving means engaged by said block on rotation of said rod whereby oneof said bars is raised on rotation of the rod in one direction and theother bar is raised on rotation of the rod in the opposite semblymounted for lateral movement, a double pawl mechanism for moving saidknife assembly laterally in opposite directions, a shield holding eitherof said pawls in inoperative position when the other of said pawls is inoperative position, a bar movable laterally of said machinesimultaneously with the lateral movement of said knife assembly, a platerigidly secured to said machine, a stud projecting from said plate, anarm rotatably mounted on said stud, stop members on said bar effectiveto reciprocate said arm on engagement therewith, the free end of saidarm engaging said shield to shift said shield laterally, whereby saidoperating pawl is moved to inoperative position, and said inoperativepawl is moved to operative position.'

31. In a knife sharpening machine, a knife assembly mounted for lateralmovement, a double pawl mechanism for moving said knife assemblylaterally in opposite directions, a shield holding either of said pawlsin inoperative position when the other of said pawls is in operativeposition, a bar movable laterally of said machine simultaneously withthe lateral movement of said knife assembly, an arm operativelyconnected to said shield, and stop members on said bar operable to movesaid arm on engagement therewith, thereby shifting said shield laterallyto move said operating pawl to inoperative position and said inoperativepawl to operative position.

32. In a knife sharpening machine, a swinging frame carrying a rotatablegrinding wheel, a knife assembly operable to move individual knivesrotatably mounted thereon into position for engagement with saidgrinding wheel, said grinding wheel being swingable into and out of thepath 18 of rotation of said knives, a cam operable to hold said grindingwheel in engagement with thecutting edge of the knife positioned and tomove said grinding wheel away during each revolution of said knife, anda stabilizer mechanism exerting constant lateral pressure against saidgrinding wheel to press it against a side of the knife edge while inengagement therewith.

33. An automatic multiple knife sharpening machine comprising a rotatingshaft, a knife assembly clamped on said shaft, a grinding wheelswingably mounted in a substantially fixed plane transversely of saidshaft, an index mechanism automatically moving said knife assemblylaterally to bring each of the knives of said assembly successively intoalignment with said grinding wheel, and a cam controlling the swingingmovement of said grinding wheel to maintain it in engagement with thecutting edge of the knife with which it is aligned and to move saidwheel away from said knife on lateral movement of the knife assembly.

GEORGE MICHAEL YULICH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

